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Last week, The Daily Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill covered a case of interest both locally to North Carolina residents and to those around the country who care about academic freedom: that of tenured professor Jammie Price at Appalachian State University (ASU).

Price was placed on administrative leave last spring after students alleged that she created a hostile environment and strayed from the syllabus while teaching her introductory sociology class. Despite the fact that her pedagogy seems to be protected under the canons of academic freedom and does not appear to constitute actionable harassment, ASU has sentenced Price to a development plan including "corrective actions" that encroach on her rights as a professor. FIRE wrote ASU this past May to express our concerns about Price’s treatment.

On the significant academic freedom and due process concerns presented by this case, The Daily Tar Heel quotes FIRE’s Robert Shibley:

Robert Shibley, senior vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said he believes that Price’s treatment by ASU administrators is a concern for all students and faculty.

"A quality liberal arts education is contingent upon academic freedom and fundamental fairness," he said in an email.

For more about Price’s case, visit our case page and be sure to read the full The Daily Tar Heelarticle.